A Gift for Fashion
by Samuraiko
Summary: It's the Christmas season in Granzreich, and Prince Bruno has just finished his holiday shopping... until he realizes to his horror he's forgotten someone. But can the serious scholar prince survive a shopping trip in Wienner with Prince Licht and his entourage along to 'help? A fun one-shot following on A NOBLE SOUL (and inspired partially by Electrikitty's story 'Fashionable').


_Author's Note: Yes, I know Christmas has come and gone. But my muse doesn't always understand this concept of a calendar. And since I very much enjoy writing Bruno and TaraLeila (from my story A NOBLE SOUL) as a couple, here's what happens when the third prince of Granzreich gets 'help' with his Christmas shopping._

* * *

 **A GIFT FOR FASHION**

 _There_ , Bruno thought to himself in satisfaction, crossing off the last name on his list with a slight flourish. _All of my shopping is now complete. I will wrap the presents later this evening once I finish my homework-_

His thoughts were interrupted by his bedroom door nearly being slammed off its hinges, and he half-leapt out of his chair, spilling his inkwell all over his list as he banged his knees into the underside of his desk.

"BRUNIE!"

"DAMN you, Licht, would it honestly kill you to learn how to KNOCK for once?!" Bruno hastily began mopping up the ink while shooting glares at his youngest brother.

"Oh, please, like you're ever doing anything worth interrupting anyway," Licht smirked as he crossed the room to casually drop onto Bruno's chaise longue.

Bruno didn't bother to dignify that comment with a reply, so Licht went blithely on.

"At any rate, my lady friends and I are headed into Wienner for some last-minute Christmas shopping, and I thought I'd see if you wanted to come along."

"Sorry, brother mine, but I've already finished all of my Christmas shopping, thank you." _Besides_ , Bruno thought, _the idea of being dragged all over town by him and his entourage is exhausting just on its own_.

"Oh, really? What'd you end up getting Dame TaraLeila?" Licht asked, and Bruno's train of thought suddenly crashed to a halt.

 _What did I- wait... oh, no!_ Bruno glanced down at his now-ink-stained list and realized to his horror that he had indeed forgotten to get the lady Knight a gift. _How could I do something so insensitive?!_

Licht, on the other hand, was giving Bruno a knowing leer. "Uh- _huh_... just as I thought. You completely forgot. Like I've said before, Brunie, you have no sense of romance whatsoever!"

"Yes, I do!" Bruno protested, damning himself for the blush he could feel searing his cheeks. "I just... wanted to make sure I got her something appropriate! Meaningful! And in good taste, something _you_ would clearly know nothing about."

"Give me a break, you'd give her a book or some other practical but boring gift. This is Christmas! The season of festivity! Of merriment! Of celebration!" Licht bounded up off the chaise longue and draped one arm around his older brother's shoulders. "And aren't you lucky that you have me and my lady friends to help you pick out the perfect gift for her?"

Before Bruno could shove Licht's arm off his shoulders, Licht was already making his way to Bruno's wardrobe and started pulling out clothes and tossing them on the bed. "But you can't go into town dressed like that, so hurry up and change. We'll be leaving in fifteen minutes!" And he was out the door before Bruno could say anything else.

* * *

 _How did I ever let him talk me into this_ , Bruno groaned silently to himself as he, Licht, and three of Licht's girlfriends took a carriage into Wienner. The girls were all a-flutter at the idea of 'helping' Bruno and Licht find an appropraite gift for TaraLeila, and the third prince was absolutely dreading what Licht might have told them while he'd been busy changing clothes.

"At the very least," Licht was saying, "you don't have to worry about money!"

"I do maintain a budget, however," Bruno said frostily.

"That's for your books and your paper and ink and pens and all that other boring stuff you busy yourself with. But this is LOVE! It deserves to be celebrated!" Licht flung his hands out melodramatically, and Bruno instinctively ducked.

"Has it ever occured to you, Licht, that being extravagant might make Dame TaraLeila uncomfortable? She has taken a vow of poverty, after all - and I would not wish to make _her_ feel obligated to provide me with a lavish gift that she cannot afford simply because I gave one to her."

Licht frowned at that and sat back in his seat. "Hmmmm... I hate to admit it, but you're right, that's a good point." Then he suddenly brightened, and Bruno's heart sank at the look of sheer glee on his brother's face. "AHA! I just had the PERFECT idea!"

A few minutes later, the carriage stopped in front of a rather elegant store. As Licht, Bruno, and the girls exited the carriage, Bruno glanced at the storefront and realized it was a dress shop.

"What are we doing here?" he asked, not entirely certain he wanted to know the answer to the question.

"You heard what Dame TaraLeila said the day before the diplomats' ball... she has virtually no formal clothes, what with her being a Knight and all. So this is the PERFECT gift for her!" Licht immediately sidled up to his brother and lowered his voice suggestively. "And don't tell me you didn't notice how lovely she was in that dress she borrowed, brother mine."

Bruno turned red and looked away, while the girls giggled, and Licht bustled all of them into the store. "Trust me, Brunie, Rose knows EVERYTHING about making a lady look drop-dead gorgeous."

Once inside, it was only a matter of time before Licht had half the female patrons and almost all of the staff hanging on his every word, while Bruno did his best to pretend that he wasn't actually there. To distract himself from listening to Licht gossip and charm, he pretended to look over some of the mannequins in the shop.

"Pardon me, sir," he heard, and he turned to see a young woman standing at his elbow. _Despite her rather average looks, she wears her clothes very well_ , Bruno admitted to himself. _If this is the sort of attire that this establishment offers, she's certainly their best advertisement_.

"Yes?" he asked, hastily straightening and offering her a slight bow.

"His Highness tells me that you're shopping for a lady, and I thought I'd see if you had any particulars about what you were looking for."

Bruno shot Licht a glare across the store, but Licht just grinned and swanned on over to join them.

"You'll have to be patient with my brother, Rose... he's not exactly up on the latest fashions."

As much as Bruno hated to admit it, Licht was right. "There, in one rare instance, I'm afraid we agree. Perhaps you might be able to assist in my efforts."

"I'd be happy to, Highness." She pulled a small pad of paper and a pencil from a pocket hidden in her full skirts. "Now then... could you describe her colouring? We wouldn't want to suggest something that clashes, after all."

"Errrrr... well..." Bruno stammered. "She... she has dark hair, black, actually. Rather fair skin, blue eyes."

Licht covered his face with one palm and sighed loudly. "Oh, for God's sake, Brunie, is _that_ your idea of a description?"

"I'm giving the lady FACTS, Licht," Bruno said hotly, "not writing poetry!"

Rose tried and failed to hide a smile as she took notes. "And what about her height and figure?"

Before Bruno could stop him, Licht chimed in, "Oh, now _there_ I can help you." He held one hand parallel to the floor just below Bruno's nose. "She's about _this_ tall..."

"Licht-"

Licht brought his hands together at roughly his hips to indicate TaraLeila's waist size. "About _this_ wide..."

"LICHT-"

Licht then cupped his hands in front of his chest. "And about-"

The next thing Licht knew, he was sitting on the floor after Bruno had belted him across the face.

"What was THAT for?!" he pouted, rubbing his cheek as he got up off the floor.

Bruno was seething in fury and embarrassment. "To so cavalierly describe Dame TaraLeila in such fashion, what is the MATTER with you?!"

"What, you think she's more well-endowed than that? Okay, so maybe more-" As he started to gesture again, Bruno smacked him a second time.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Bruno howled, his face absolutely scarlet now, while Licht's girlfriends, Rose, and several of the other patrons of the store were tittering in amusement. _I swear, I am going to kill him when we get back to the palace... or at least beat him senseless._

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Bruno tried to calm himself, while Licht let his entourage flutter and coo over his injury.

 _Get a hold of yourself, man. You are better than this._

Bruno drew himself up to his full height and met Rose's half-sympathetic, half-amused gaze. "The lady in question is slightly shorter than I, lean of form while still feminine. I regret to say that I do not have her exact measurements."

"Now that I think about it, we should have asked Grandmother if we could borrow the dress that Dame TaraLeila wore," Licht said, still sitting on the floor. "It'd be close enough, at least."

"Well, perhaps once we've settled on a style and colours, you could return with the dress in question," Rose suggested, and Bruno nodded in agreement. "Now, then... hmmm. Black hair, pale skin, blue eyes. What shade of blue?"

Bruno envisioned the Knight's face, and a slightly wistful smile curved his mouth. "Pale blue... like a winter morning sky," he said softly.

Rose was busy scribbling on her notepad, when Licht suddenly leapt up and began circling the store. "Now let's see... style, style, style..."

Bruno ignored Licht and began looking over different dresses himself while still talking to Rose. "Something elegant, tasteful... the lady in question often attends affairs at court, so it must be presentable."

"Heya, Brunie, what do you think of _this_?" he heard, and he turned to see Licht pointing to a dress and hustling one of his girlfriends to stand next to it. Bruno's blush returned in full force.

"Did you have to choose the lowest neckline in the store? She is a LADY, Licht."

"Exactly! So maybe stop seeing her as a Knight in her tabard and _try_ imagining her as a woman?"

That was precisely what Bruno was trying NOT to do, at least in public where his feelings were far too evident on his face.

After another forty minutes of this, Bruno and Rose finally settled on a style, in shades of ice blue and royal blue satin that even Licht approved of. With silver lace trim, the dress was elegant enough for Bruno's taste, while still fashionable enough for any court on the Western continent. Bruno idly ran his fingers over the bolts of satin, only vaguely aware of Rose writing up his receipt. _I only wish I could see her in this... to see how it complements her eyes and her face..._

"Here you are, Highness," he heard, and he glanced up, startled, to see Rose holding out his receipt. "We'll have it ready in a week."

"So quickly?" he asked in surprise, and she gave him a slightly wry smile.

"For royal customers, of course. And I _do_ have all the fabric and materials on hand, plus you'll be bringing that dress in for measurements. Might I hope that the lady is available to come in for a fitting once we have the dress made?"

At that, Bruno's face fell, and he shook his head. "I'm afraid that she doesn't live here in Wienner, or even in Granzreich."

"Oh, that's too bad," Rose murmured, "but I'm sure that her seamstress can help with any last-minute alterations that might be needed."

"True... and thank you for your assistance, miss," Bruno said, bowing politely over her hand. "I'll return tomorrow afternoon."

As he turned to leave, however, Bruno suddenly saw Licht sidle over to Rose and ask her something too quiet for him to catch, but Rose turned red, giggled, and half-pushed Licht toward the door.

Once they were outside, Bruno turned to his brother, caught him by the arm, and asked in a dangerously soft tone, "And what precisely did you say to Rose before we left the store?"

"Oh, nothing..." Licht said, his face the very picture of innocence. "I just asked her whether she also designed lingerie- OW!"

 **~ FIN ~**


End file.
